Dear friends,

"When in the course of Human Events", a lofty preamble to an acrimonious divorce. What emotions welled up in the participants? Certainly animosity and fear, but I can't help feeling sorrow cast a pall over all.

Separations, from the anxiety exhibited by young children to the public melt down of a proud political organization, are painful. The child recovers at the arrival of the caregiver; it is not so easy with a group. To understand the dissolution of a group, one must first understand its' precepts and character.

Increased parklands and sane development must be championed, pursuit of solutions to the ubiquitous parking problem is a definite, but paramount is achieving a respectful government including all in governance. Pretty much sounds like the Hoboken United Platform that this writer along with some of the participants in this year council election helped craft. How could such good intentions end up in such a public feud?

Well it depends on whom you ask. Tony Soares will claim that change is occurring too slowly and Dave Roberts' proclivity for appointing former members of the Russo' organization, are the sources of his ire. While he uses the short-sight criteria of past affiliations as a yardstick for inclusion in his version of government, the outstanding quality of the work performed by Bob Drasheff, as the City's Business Administrator is ignored. Tony, a bundle of dissonance, decries the former Mayor and his operatives yet includes them in his campaign to the point of strolling the Housing Authority with Nellie Moyeno and George Ortiz and never mentions the year he spent as Council President wherein the City's agenda was in his hands.

Now, David Roberts when asked might state that this break is the result of a shameless grab for power. That while he, as Mayor; allowed Tony and Carol to craft policy, and name members to both the Planning and Zoning Boards as well as, the Administration, but could not acquiesce to Soares' demands to dump three incumbents, who facilitated the Administrations' agenda and who Tony himself had pledge support, in favor of candidates of Tony's choosing.

Since this breakdown began, people have been vexed to decide whom to support. The answer is truly simple. Which ticket more accurately reflects the population as a whole? The Hoboken United Ticket includes candidates who despite politics have delivered for the ward they represent and where a vacancy existed, the candidate chosen is not indigenous to Hoboken.

The Hoboken Alliance Ticket, bootstrapped together by Soares reflects the bankrupt philosophy embodied in the effete Choice for Change, namely "those born in Hoboken need not apply". I have spent my entire public life battling this "us verses them" mentality and it saddens me to see it once again, rear it ugly head. While peopled by descent individuals, their platform mirrors the same hostile elitists' rhetoric; employees are the enemy, increase working hours, reduce benefits, enact unilateral changes to collective bargaining agreement, cease expansions of affordable and senior housing, these assaults on the sensibilities of all progressive thinking people must be repudiated at the poles.

Since respecting and celebrating differences is what Hoboken is all about, I urge all to vote, on May 13th, for Hoboken United.

Thank you for your many courtesies.

I remain,

Perry Belfiore